Yuan Yao, PhD
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Professor
Biography
Dr. Yuan Yao is the Assistant Professor of Industrial Ecology and Sustainable Systems at the Yale School of the Environment. She joined Yale University in July 2020. Her research is motivated by the increasing need for sustainable solutions that can support industrial development without compromising the environment or depleting the resources for future generations. She uses interdisciplinary approaches in industrial ecology, sustainable engineering, and machine learning to develop systems analysis tools to support engineering and policy decisions towards sustainable development.
Dr. Yao received the National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER) in 2019. Dr. Yao has been leading collaborative projects with U.S. national labs, private companies, non-profits, and different universities to develop quantitative analyses for accelerating the research, development, and deployment of renewable energy, emerging technologies, and sustainable bioeconomy. Dr. Yao earned her B.S. in Metallurgical Engineering from Northeastern University in China and her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Northwestern University in the United States. She also has a Management for Scientists and Engineers from Kellogg School of Management.
Appointments
Chemical and Environmental Engineering
Associate Professor on TermSecondary
Other Departments & Organizations
Education & Training
- PhD
- Northwestern University, Chemical Engineering (2016)
- BS
- Northeastern University, Metallurgical Engineering (2011)
Research
Publications
2026
Working Toward a More Environmentally Sustainable Echocardiography Lab: Present Considerations and Future Directions.
Chang AY, Bellumkonda L, McNamara RL, Yao Y, Zoghbi WA, Rajagopalan S, Al-Kindi S. Working Toward a More Environmentally Sustainable Echocardiography Lab: Present Considerations and Future Directions. J Am Soc Echocardiogr 2026 PMID: 42731736, DOI: 10.1016/j.echo.2026.08.025.Commentaries, Editorials and LettersIntegrated thermal and phytoremediation of agricultural soils impacted by PFAS
Thompson J, Dobson M, Suhrhoff T, Kanzaki Y, Kent C, Bryce L, Milliken E, Reinhard C, Yao Y, Planavsky N. Integrated thermal and phytoremediation of agricultural soils impacted by PFAS. Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America 2026, 123: e2600786123. PMID: 42479829, PMCID: PMC13416631, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2600786123.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAnalyzing Co-Benefits and Rock Sourcing in Life Cycle and Techno-Economic Assessment of Enhanced Rock Weathering
Kroeger J, Zhang B, Planavsky N, Yao Y. Analyzing Co-Benefits and Rock Sourcing in Life Cycle and Techno-Economic Assessment of Enhanced Rock Weathering. Environmental Science And Technology 2026, 60: 6215-6226. PMID: 41719415, DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.5c14334.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchThe role of biodegradable plastics in the global plastic future
Piao Z, Yao Y. The role of biodegradable plastics in the global plastic future. Nature Reviews Clean Technology 2026, 2: 215-230. DOI: 10.1038/s44359-025-00142-1.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2025
Lignocellulosic Films: Preparation, Properties, and Applications
Du H, Liu K, Xu T, Xu C, Lin M, Fang Z, Kim S, Seo J, Chen J, Ma H, Hsiao B, DeVetter L, Piao Z, Si C, Chen C, Yang Q, Lee S, Yao Y, Pan X. Lignocellulosic Films: Preparation, Properties, and Applications. Chemical Reviews 2025, 125: 11666-11814. PMID: 41370747, PMCID: PMC12746420, DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.5c00267.Peer-Reviewed Reviews, Practice Guidelines, Standards, and Consensus StatementsEco-design for the sustainable scale-up of flexible transparent conductive electrodes at the early-stage development
Piao Z, Meza L, Shukla D, Venditti R, Zhu Y, Yao Y. Eco-design for the sustainable scale-up of flexible transparent conductive electrodes at the early-stage development. Green Chemistry 2025, 27: 15670-15683. DOI: 10.1039/d5gc03167b.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchA new approach to improve the economic and environmental attractiveness of biomethane from biomass gasification with redox-activated CO2 sorbents
Garcia-Vallejo M, Rukh M, Wang S, Cai R, Brody L, Killmer C, Lan K, Yao Y, Li F, Park S. A new approach to improve the economic and environmental attractiveness of biomethane from biomass gasification with redox-activated CO2 sorbents. Chemical Engineering Journal 2025, 523: 167510. DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2025.167510.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchSupply–demand strategies for near-term climate benefits from hydrogen in the United States
Xu Y, Peng W, Yao Y. Supply–demand strategies for near-term climate benefits from hydrogen in the United States. Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America 2025, 122: e2519606122. PMID: 41052338, PMCID: PMC12541446, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2519606122.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchA view of the sustainable computing landscape
Lee B, Brooks D, van Benthem A, Elgamal M, Gupta U, Hills G, Liu V, Phan L, Pierce B, Stewart C, Strubell E, Wei G, Wierman A, Yao Y, Yu M. A view of the sustainable computing landscape. Patterns 2025, 6: 101296. PMID: 40926963, PMCID: PMC12416076, DOI: 10.1016/j.patter.2025.101296.Peer-Reviewed Reviews, Practice Guidelines, Standards, and Consensus StatementsGlobal land and carbon consequences of mass timber products
Lan K, Favero A, Yao Y, Mendelsohn R, Wang H. Global land and carbon consequences of mass timber products. Nature Communications 2025, 16: 4864. PMID: 40419537, PMCID: PMC12106697, DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-60245-y.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
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School of the Environment
380 Edwards Street, New Haven, Connecticut, 06511, United States
New Haven,, Connecticut 06511
United States